AP Moller-Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping line, on Friday warned that its industry remained in a “crisis of historic dimensions” even as the world economy showed tentative signs of recovery.

The downturn in trade has combined with chronic oversupply to send container shipping rates down 30 per cent in the first half of this year, putting Maersk on course for the first full-year loss in its 105-year history.